Through the Veil
by Demeter's Wayward Daughter
Summary: There's a hole in the fabric of the universe, and the torn piece hangs in the Department of Mysteries. When Harry steps through the veil, he finds himself years in the future, on another planet. Can he and River un-confuse each other?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Ah, my first published story. It's a Harry Potter/Firefly crossover, and a Harry/River romance. It may even develop a plot. Ignores Wash's Death. And Sheppard Book's. Because that did NOT happen.

The first chapter, and perhaps the second, are tame. Barely a T rating. This will change to M within a chapter or two.

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It was over. Voldemort was dead. Ron and Hermione, Neville and Luna, and surprisingly, even Draco Malfoy had helped. And then Harry was alone. Ron and Hermione were too wrapped up in their losses and their new relationship to worry about Harry. He didn't blame them; after all they had gone through with him, they deserved some happiness. So did Neville and Luna, who were currently off hunting Crumple Horned Snorkacks. Draco was spending some much needed time with his family. And, Harry thought, with Ginny Weasley, who had befriended the Slytherin boy. They made a good match.

Remus was dead, Tonks, Mad-Eye, Fred, all of them. Sirius. His parents. They were gone, and it was his fault. Oh, he wasn't, as Snape would have sneered had he lived, quite arrogant enough to take full responsibility for their deaths. He knew there were other factors. But he also knew he could place a lot of the blame on himself.

He stopped in to see Teddy Lupin at the Tonks residence. Andromeda was so happy to have a baby around again. Harry had agreed that she should raise the child. He wouldn't have made a good father. He knew that too. The Tonks family didn't notice the letter and Gringotts key he left on the front step as he left the house.

It was amazing how easily doors opened for him at the Ministry. He was the savior. Yes Mister Potter. Of course Mister Potter. Right this way sir. This isn't normally allowed sir. But for you Mister Potter, we'll make an exception sir. He was reminded forcefully of house elves, and had to blink back tears as he remembered Dobby, another innocent who might still be alive, if not for Harry Potter.

The room with the veil was just as he had first seen it. He heard the voices from behind it. The ministry official accompanying him stepped out to give him a moment, "to think, and grieve for Sirius Black, since the war prevented it before." Harry reached out a hand and ran his fingers lightly across the veil's surface. He looked at his hand. It tingled, but looked unchanged. Without a backwards glance, he stepped forward, through the veil, and disappeared.

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River Tam sat bolt upright in bed, and screamed. Simon rushed into her room, and tried to pull her into a comforting embrace, but she resisted.

"A whole in the fabric of the universe. Took the torn piece and hung it in a room. Usually only the wind blows through. But sometimes a bug. We need to catch the bug," River explained to Simon, very sensibly. He looked confused. She rolled her eyes and hopped out of bed.

"River? Where are you going mei mei?" Simon followed her out the door as she wandered upstairs. Passing through the kitchen, she stopped in front of the table where Mal, Wash, and Jayne were playing poker.

"Is unnecessary. Jayne will win." The three men looked up, surprised.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed there, Lil Albatross?" Mal asked.

"She was, but then the fabric fluttered." River replied.

"What fabric mei mei?" asked Simon from behind her.

"She already explained it to the idiot child. Captain, Serenity must stop. She will plot a course." Everyone laughed at the way River referred to Simon, but sobered immediately at her parting words as she headed for the bridge.

"No gorram way we are makin' any stops as weren't planned for quite a ways ago. Albatross!" Mal said, laying his cards down on the table and standing to follow her out.

"You foldin' Mal?" asked Jayne, still staring at his hand. Mal nodded as he exited the room.

"Girl, you get on out of Wash's seat now, you hear?" Mal's voice drifted down the hall. Simon started for the bridge.

"She's in my seat? What is our own personal prophetess doing now?" Wash asked, making to leave the kitchen and investigate. "I'll fold."

"I win?" Jayne asked the deserted kitchen, slightly shocked.

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Harry was rather surprised to find himself standing in a desert. At the bottom of a cliff. He was rather surprised to be standing at all. He had assumed that the veil meant you died, and if there was something after that, he was pretty sure it didn't look like this. Looking up, the first thing Harry noticed was the moon. And the other one. There were two. He sat down on a nearby rock.

So, as strange as the thought was, he wasn't on earth. Was this an alternate reality? Or something like the Room of Requirement? He pulled off his robes to reveal a green shirt and jeans. It was slightly cooler, but not much. A thought occurred to him, and he pulled out his wand.

"Lumos!" Harry was thrilled to see that, wherever he was, at least his wand still worked. It was getting dark. That meant it would cool off soon. He conjured a sleeping bag and lay down on top of it, staring up at the sky. He wasn't particularly worried about being in the middle of nowhere. He had thought he was going to die, to see Sirius and his parents. He had convinced himself that they waited just beyond the veil, just out of reach. He felt keenly the disappointment that he wasn't with them now, but rather alone on a desolate planet.

He must have fallen asleep, because Harry was suddenly awakened by the roar of an engine as a spaceship landed close by. Standing, he drew his wand. A spaceship? Was this some bizarre dream?

A ramp lowered, and a group of five people walked towards him. The first thing he noticed was that they were all carrying guns. The second was the girl. She was in front, leading the rest. She was tiny, and moved with catlike grace, dark eyes focused on Harry, and long hair blowing in the slight nighttime breeze.

"Poor little bug. Not native to this environment." She smiled at him, and he found himself smiling back, even as he wondered about what she said. It made sense, sort of, but she spoke strangely.

"What's your name kid?" asked a man with sandy brown hair. Harry noticed his eyes. They had that look. Like they had seen too much. Harry would recognize the look anywhere. Glancing around, he saw that they all had the same haunted _something_ lurking in their eyes. He knew that his held the same.

"Harry Potter." There was no whispering or nudging. They didn't all smile and try to shake his hand. The man who had spoken just nodded and asked how he had gotten there. The girl answered.

"Stepped through the piece of fabric. Fell through the tear. We have discussed this. He can cook." The man, who Harry assumed was the leader, frowned at her explanation, but his face brightened slightly at the last part. Harry just stared at her in shock.

"You can cook? Great. We could use a chef, with the Sheppard stayin' planetside. River, you vouch for him?"

"Affirmative." The girl treated Harry to another bright smile, while the rest of the crew watched silently. The large man carrying a huge gun looked bored. The pretty woman wearing mostly leather looked just as dangerous as he, her face expressionless. The other man, a skinny, sophisticated looking fellow, held his pistol as if he'd never handled one before, and seemed very concerned as he watched the girl who was talking to Harry. The leader broke into a funny lopsided grin and offered a hand. Harry shook it, after slipping his wand back into his pocket. He didn't have anywhere else to go.

"The name's Mal. And this here's River, her overprotective brother Dr. Tam, Zoe, and our mercenary, Jayne. And this," he continued, gesturing to the ship, "is Serenity."

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Please review the story so far. I'm hoping to have an update in a couple days.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

Okay, lots of River/Harry in this one. I promise the other fabulous characters will be seen more in the next chapter.

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It was only the first thing she could think of to get the captain to let her keep him. But he really could cook. River watched the green eyed boy from across the table. He was confusing. She couldn't read him. His mind was blocked. If she pushed hard enough, maybe she could break down the barriers, but she liked not knowing. Just like everybody else. It was something new for her.

"This is some pretty good stuff kid. How'd you make protein taste like this?" Mal asked, watching his newest crew member with interest as he took another bite.

"I may have added a couple of secret ingredients," Harry answered.

"Aww, see now, Mal, we've got us another mysterious one. Ain' right, with two of em runnin' around, plannin' to kill us with their magic powers." Jayne grumbled, only half joking. Harry was instantly on the alert. He had assumed they were all muggles. Advanced muggles to be sure. He was in a spaceship, for heaven's sake! But this was the first mention of magic he had heard.

"Magic powers?" He asked cautiously. Simon looked annoyed.

"Jayne is rather convinced that my sister has, oh what was it again? Oh yes, 'freaky super brain lasers' that she will use to kill him if she gets angry enough." The young man shot a glare at Jayne, which the merc returned, full force.

"I think Jayne's right, a little." Kaylee, the ship's smiley mechanic, piped up. At Simon's shocked look she continued hastily. "Not 'bout River wantin' to kill us. I just meant about her mind. Our River's the smartest girl in the Verse, Harry. An' sometimes I think maybe she do have somethin's magic about her. Not like us ordinary folk."

"Hmmm," Harry replied, looking at River thoughtfully. There was a test for magical aptitude. He had learned it in Charms class. But if she was a witch, he'd have to tell her. He'd have to tell all of them. And he had planned on keeping the magic a secret. But, looking into her dark, searching eyes, he knew he would tell. She deserved to know the truth. He didn't want her to be what he always was before the Hogwarts letter. The freak. "There's a test. For certain... mental aptitudes. I can perform it if you wish."

"Needles?" River asked, not breaking eye contact. Harry felt something pushing against his rudimentary Occlumency shields, and fought to keep them up. The pressure stopped, and he saw surprise flicker in River's eyes.

"No needles." Harry replied softly. The whole table was silent, as everyone watched them. River was mesmerized by the emerald fire. It burned so brightly, fighting with the shadows and the ghosts that dwelled within it. So much light and life, even while in battle with such darkness.

"She will submit to this test. Come on." River gracefully stood and walked from the table. As Harry got up to follow her, he couldn't help but admire her slim figure, and the way her hips swayed as she walked. And those legs...

"I'm going also, I think. Though I have a feeling I have no say in this matter." Simon also rose and left the room.

"Somehow, I think that, whatever this test is, we're about to learn something new about River. And I've got a strange feeling about that." Zoe stared after them.

"Good feeling or bad feeling Lambytoes?" Wash asked, stealing a bite from his wife's plate.

"Neither. Just... strange."

In River's room, as she had refused to be tested in the infirmary, and Harry had assured Simon that the test wasn't medical, a heated argument was taking place.

"I am not leaving two teenagers of opposite sexes alone in a bedroom together! It's entirely inappropriate!" Simon practically shouted. River rolled her eyes.

"There will be no sex Simon. Now is not the right time," She stated simply. Harry gaped at her for a moment before his face resumed a neutral expression, though he still watched he speculatively. Simon was not so quick to regain composure.

"River, I didn't mean... I wasn't saying... Wait, what do you mean _now_ isn't the right time?" he sputtered. Harry decided to step in.

"Dr. Tam, I swear to you that I will not take advantage of your sister in any way. The test I am performing will not involve me even touching her. It is only for her privacy and comfort that I ask you to step out of the room. It will let her be in control of when and how you find out the results of this test. And trust me, Dr. Tam, when you've had no control over your own life, even the little things make a huge difference," Harry said, speaking from the heart, remembering all the things in his life that had been kept a secret from him, and all the times adults had dictated his actions "for his own good".

"I... Very well. I'll be in the infirmary taking inventory if you need me," Simon acquiesced, and with a last look over his shoulder, left the room. Harry shut the door behind him and looked back at River. The dark-eyed girl was staring up at him from her place on the bed. Harry smiled at her. She cocked her head to the side and looked at him as if studying him for a potions experiment.

"You handle Simon very well, for such a little bug," she remarked.

"I'm a bug?"

"Flew in through the tear. Didn't mean to wind up here. Just flying towards the light." She giggled. "Got eaten by a bigger bug."

"Okay, so the veil is a tear, and I came through it. Bigger bug?"

"Serenity. She's a Firefly," River replied, before her eyes widened in shock. "You ask for clarification! You listen, understand, and then you ask to comprehend! None of the others do. Not with crazy."

"Hey! You're not crazy! And of course I'll ask questions if I don't get what you're saying right away. The others should too. Now, do you want to try this test or what?" Harry grinned at the girl in front of him. She smiled back, and nodded. It was a shame that these people treated her like she was crazy. He didn't know what she'd been through, but it wasn't pretty, judging by her jumbled speech, and her brother's fierce protectiveness. He drew his wand and let her see that it was only a wooden rod, before beginning to twirl it in the spell pattern for the magical aptitude charm. Once he was sure he remembered it, he asked River to hold her hand out, palm up. Carefully, he performed the spell, and was relieved to see a white ball of light appear above River's outstretched hand. As they watched, it changed slowly to light blue, which darkened to dark blue, and then purple, and then to red, as Harry's eyes widened, and River watched in fascination. The light settled on a reddish orange glow, and Harry ended the spell.

"What is the prognosis?" River asked impishly. Harry took a breath.

"River, you may find this difficult to believe, but certain people have abilities which can't be explained by science. Where I'm from, it was called magic. Call it what you want. The test I just did is one used on wizarding children, wizards being those with the ability to do magic, to show how much power they have. White light means none at all. The rest of the crew would probably have a white light. A light blue light means very little power, and the highest amount of power ever recorded by the test was a dark green light, and that was a man called Merlin, eons ago. I'm considered one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Long story, I'll tell it later, and when I perform the test, I get a yellowish green glow. Average is purple. So I guess what I'm saying is, not only do you have magic, but you have a lot of power." Harry finished his speech and just watched the girl carefully to gauge her reaction.

"So can she fly?" River asked.

"On a broo... You can enchant something to fly, and ride on that." Harry replied. He didn't want to try to explain his wizarding culture, at least not yet. For all he knew, Quidditch didn't even exist here. They could be the only wizards in the world. She seemed to seriously consider his answer, before pointing to his wand.

"I need one of those?" she asked.

"This is a wand. I'm not sure where we could get you one, but I think maybe something else would work.. It is only to focus your power. Here, hold this one, and swish it around a bit," he offered, holding the wand out to her. She took it gingerly, and waved it. A box of colored pencils on the bedside table exploded, sending shards of brightly colored wood in all directions. River quickly handed Harry back his wand. "This wand just isn't a good match for you. We'll figure something out. _Reparo!_"

River watched in awe as the pencils reformed and flew back into their box. "I transform matter, and defy the laws of physics? Explain please." Harry spent the next hour answering all of her questions to the best of his abilities, and asking some of his own. He quickly came to the conclusion that he was many years in the future, but not in some alternate reality. He found the history (or future, depending on how you looked at it) of humanity, as vague as it was coming from River, fascinating. In the middle of a discussion about potions, River stopped, and looked up. "Simon is worrying. We have approximately 26.5 minutes before he comes down here to check on us."

"You're a telepath?" Harry asked. At her confused look, he continued, "Like a psychic? It's unusual in my world, but not unheard of. A lesser form, Legillimency, is more common, but it generally requires eye contact. It's interesting..." Whatever he was going to say was cut off when River leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She pulled away and just looked at him. "Umm... River? What was that?"

"A kiss." Her tone implied that he was a bit slow on the uptake. Which he probably was. It wasn't that he didn't find her attractive. With those delicate features, big, dark brown eyes, sparkling with intelligence, long silky hair, and those legs... But there had been no indication of her intent. Just an abrupt meeting of their lips. "Was it not done correctly?" She asked, face falling slightly at his silence.

"No, River, it's not that. It's just, usually there's a bit more that comes before a kiss. Now I like you, for all that I've only known you for a day, and you obviously feel the same, but I really think that given our rather complicated situation, taking things slowly is probably the best way to go. You know, talk a bit more..."

"You're being a prude like Simon. There is plenty of time for talking later too. You have a lot to teach me. Magic. Potions. Flying. Kissing," she said, her face moving closer to his with each word she spoke. Harry suddenly couldn't remember why he was so opposed to kissing only moments before. Kissing seemed like a good idea.

"I..." He started to say something, but he was distracted by the sight of River's tongue darting out to moisten her lips, in an unconsciously seductive gesture. He closed the distance between them and met her lips with his own. He cupped her cheek with one hand, and moved the other to tangle in that long, silky hair. He tilted his head slightly to keep from bumping noses, and she followed his lead and did the same. Her lips were unbelievably soft, and Harry couldn't resist the urge to taste them.

When she felt his tongue touch her lips, River automatically opened her mouth to him. She was floating. As he explored her mouth with his tongue, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and began her own exploration. Who knew tongues could give rise to such wonderful feelings? Eventually, they had to stop for air, and they both pulled back. Looking into Harry's green eyes, eyes that focused only on her, saw only her, not a crazy girl, a weapon, or the person she used to be, River wanted to stay there forever. She kissed him again, fiercely, tongues duelling, and hands roaming each other's bodies. She felt him run his hands down her back, coming to rest on her hips. His thumbs slipped under her shirt, and she felt fire spreading from where they were rubbing small circles against her skin. She boldly tugged on his shirt to untuck the back so that she could access his own bare skin. He pulled his mouth from hers and she heard her own whimper turn to a moan as his lips found the skin of her neck. She grazed her nails down his back, before relocating her hands to his chest to play with the light sprinkling of hair. He groaned slightly, continuing to kiss, and lick, and... Ooohh, _nip_ his way down the column of her throat.

"Harry?' When he didn't make any indication of hearing, she tried again. "Harry... We only have 6 minutes... before my brother shows up... Harry?" He pulled back and just stared at her, unable to form coherent words. That had been completely unexpected. Fantastic, passionate, and arousing as hell, but unexpected. River seemed unfazed as she began to pull her hair into a neat braid. "She thinks the lessons will be fun."

"Lessons?" asked Harry, still dazed. He tried to clear his mind of thoughts about River, a process hindered by the way she was biting her lower lip. He had to stop thinking like that! Before his pants got any tighter. He searched for something else to think about... something... Umbridge in a frilly pink bikini! That was it. The jeans he was wearing instantly felt a whole lot roomier, and he adjusted his shirt, while waiting for River to clarify.

"The magic lessons. And the kissing lessons. We will tell the crew at breakfast, that she is not crazy." The grin that River gave him was infectious, and Harry found himself smiling back, even as he shook his head.

"We can explain about magic in the morning, but there won't be any kissing lessons. I'm pretty sure you've got the hang of it. I like you a lot River, and I want to get to know you better, and maybe do some more kissing, but later. And it won't be lessons. It will be..."

"For mutual enjoyment?' River asked, tilting her head to the side in a manner that Harry decided was absolutely adorable. He nodded in response to her question. Someone knocked, and Harry got up to open the door, revealing Simon's worried face. "There is much discussion of my magic powers Simon. All will be revealed in half a false day. The boys will go now. This tree house is girls only."

"Goodnight River, said Harry, smiling and walking out the door. Simon seemed confused, but said goodnight and followed the younger man from his sister's room.

"She trusts you, and if nothing else, River knows who to trust. But understand that I'm still worried for her safety and her health. What exactly were you testing for, Mr. Potter?"

"Oh please, it's just Harry. And she already told you, Dr. Tam. Magic powers. Now, where do I sleep?"

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Please review!

Next chapter will involve telling the crew, and finding River a focus.


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